July 28, 2004

Pick One: Air or Baby

Do you think paraplegics have to deal with assvice? 
 
Do you think people have the nerve to walk up to a newly paralyzed person and cheerfully say "Oh, but you can always get a wheelchair, you know," and then point out the accessibility ramps on the sidewalks in an oh-so-helpful manner?
 
I doubt it. 
 
Even if the assvisors had the nerve, where would they find the time?  Clearly, they're still all booked up pestering the Barren Bitches Brigade.
 
"Oh, but you can always do IVF," they say, as if being PS (Possibly Sterile) automatically reduces your IQ by forty points. As if you were the last person on the planet to ever hear of it.  As if it works.
 
"Oh, but you can always adopt," they chirp, as if filling out endless paperwork and paying exorbitant fees is an identical experience to gestation and birth.  As if you can afford it.
 
"Oh, but having children isn't everything, you know.  There are other things in life," they say, going on to brag about Percival Junior's latest miraculous accomplishment.
 
That would have to be my least favorite 'oh, but'.
 
Have you ever gone on the offensive after being told that having children isn't everything?  I highly recommend it, especially if you're feeling hormonal.  Why vent your wrath on some innocent clerk who doesn't deserve it?  Take it out on an assvisor, who clearly does.
 
"Air isn't everything, either, but it gains a whole new value when the plane's cabin depressurizes and those spiffy little emergency masks drop out of the overhead compartments, doesn't it?
 
"And what about those little masks, eh?  Have you listened to the emergency instructions?  People have to be told to put the masks on themselves before helping their children.  People have to be specifically ordered to choose 'air' over 'offspring', and I'm willing to bet that when push comes to shove and those little orange mouthpieces are bobbing above their heads, most parents say 'to hell with it' and strap the mask on Junior, first.

"What else do you know that people value over air?"

Most people can't come up with an answer.  Fertiles, especially, have a hard time coming up with any career, personal freedom, accomplishment, vacation, or amount of money that they would place at the level of importance as children.
 
There must be something, though, because they keep telling us that having children isn't everything, and they're always right.  Just ask them.

Original Comments

July 23, 2004

Assvice and the New Math

So I started thinking: maybe the fertiles don't know when they're giving assvice.  Maybe there should be a handy dandy mathematical equation to determine the AQ (asshat quotient) of any particular statement.



           ASSVICE WORKSHEET 

First of all, we must determine the variables:
 
U is the degree of Unsolicitedness (is that a word?) of the statement on a scale of one to ten, one being 'you were directly asked for advice' and ten being 'not only were you not asked, you weren't even told about the issue directly'.
 
K is the amount of Kindness involved in your statement or actions, one being 'hugs, hair stroking, and brownies' and ten being 'hastily jotted, insincere email or pointless rambling voicemail'.
 
F is the Familiarity you have with the PAV (Potential Assvice Victim), one being "mother, sister, spouse, best friend", and ten being "that friend of your co-worker's niece that you met at the company picnic that one time".
 
C is the amount of Credibility that you personally have on the issue at hand, one being "you are the leading expert in the field of _____" and ten being "you think you might have read an article in Reader's Digest about that last month".
 
Multiply all these factors together.  If your score is over ten, you may have just given assvice. 
 
Practice Equations:
 
Your sister in law (F=2) tells her mother that she has cancer.  Her mother mentions it to you.  You call your sister in law (U=10) and tell her, or rather, her answering machine (K=10) that according this show you watched on the Discovery Channel two weeks ago (C=8) she should just get plenty of rest, eat a macrobiotic diet, and take up Feng Shui.
Your score: 1600.  Congratulations.  You have just given assvice.
 
Your best friend (F=1) calls you in the middle of the night because her boyfriend (who you knew was a loser from day one) is cheating on her with the neighbor, the neighbor's goat, and the girl down at the Goat Feed Store and he slapped her when she accused him of being unfaithful, and she desperately needs your advice (U=1).  You dash over, take her to the twentyfour hour grocery store for frozen cheesecake (K=1), ask if she's heard the song 'Goodbye Earl' and offer to lend her a tarp and a couple of shovels because you know from personal experience that your town won't miss one more cheating abusive man, if you know what I mean (C=1).
Your score: 1.  Not only have you not given assvice, but I think I love you.
 
Of course, there's more to assvice than the F, U, C, and K variables.
 
Extra credit points can always be gained or lost.
 
If you say "You probably don't need any more advice right now," subtract 5 points.
 
If you say "You probably don't need any more advice right now," and then use that as a lead in for "but if you ask me, I think you should _____," add 7 points.
 
If you offer to take the PAV out for drinks, dinner or coffee, divide your final score in half.  If you buy her cheesecake in any form, subtract another 3 points.
 
If you offer to take the PAV out for drinks, dinner or coffee and then deliberately steer the conversation towards the issue in question for the sole purpose of information gathering (read: gossip) or assvice offering, add 11 points.
 
If you include the word 'just' in your advice (i.e. "just adopt"), multiply your total by 5.
 
If you include lame anecdotal evidence in your advice ("my best friend's mother's cousin knew this woman who got that same kind of cancer, and it was no big deal"), add 65 points.
 
If you say "oh, I know exactly how you feel" and immediately launch into a ten minute trip down memory lane about the time you broke your leg, lost your dog, or wrecked your car, multiply your score by 13.
 
If you make claims about It (whatever 'it' is) being God's Will, God's Plan, or God Working In Mysterious Ways, be prepared to produce duly notarized paperwork proving that you are, in fact, God.
 
If you offer to run errands, make dinner, sit with the PAV while she cries and eats ice cream, take her out for a day of fun or relaxation or silliness, and never mention The Big Issue unless she genuinely wants to talk about it, remove all points from your final score.  Don't forget to pick up your good Karma points and free puppy at the office window.
 
If you use any variation of "cheer up," "smile," or even mention the words "more positive attitude," add 18 jillion points to your score and please fuck off and die.

I'm thinking of printing this out and handing it to the fertiles before I ever open my mouth about the Endometriosis and the PS.

What say, ladies?

Original Comments